Visible portable loose-leaf device



. B. KLEIN ET AL VISIBLE PORTABLE LOOSE-LEAF DEVICI I Sept. 23;, 1941.

Benz Filed June 22, 1939 INVENTOR$ drd AZearz.

RNEY 2 Patented Sept. 23, 1941 VISIBLE PORTABLE LOQSE-LEAF DEVICE Bernard Klein and Barney Heimbinder, New

York, N. Y.

Application June 22, 1939, Serial No. 280,462

1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a Visible portable loose leaf device.

More specifically the invention relates to a card index system or filing system wherein data cards or sheets are arranged in predetermined groups, alphabetically, numerically or, any other arbitrary designations. I

An object of this invention is to simplify such systems whereby they will not only be inexpensive, but will be more efficient in operation, compact, permitting a vast number of data sheets or cards to be arranged in a minimum of space, readily accessible to enable the selection of a desired card or sheet with a minimum loss of time, and further adapted to enable a series of cards to be visible at the same time.

Still further the invention has for an object to provide a system where the cards or sheets may be detached or removed and readily inserted in other positions on the holder without disarranging the order of the remaining cards or sheets. I

Still further this invention has for an object to provide a system where additional cards or sheets may be inserted without disarranging the order of the cards or sheets already held in the holder.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a system where the cards or sheets may be shifted about at will, either singly or in groups with a minimum of effort.

A further object of this invention is to provide a system where the cards or sheets lock themselves one to the other without the addition of a foreign body.

A further object of this invention is to provide a system where the cards or sheets lock themselves one to the other without the addition of foreign bodies, and yet may be shifted about at will singly or in groups without the necessity of detaching each card or sheet so as to shift them.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view, as will more fully appear as this specification proceeds, the invention consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof, the arrangement of the cards, and the mode of operation or.their equivalents as hereinafter described and more fully set forth in the appended claim.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure: 7 Fig. l is a perspective view of a visible portable loose leaf device constructed according to this invention,

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view ofFig. 1 with all of the cards removed.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the parts in a different condition.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the cards or sheets.

The visible portable loose leaf devicein accordance with'this invention includes a page having an outer layer l0 provided with a plurality of slots II and I2 arranged parallel to each other and extending vertically thereon. The page also includes a rear backing layer H5 attached to the outer layer along its edges.

A plurality'of cards or sheets l4 having tabs l5 along their top edges are arranged so that the ends of the tabs are adapted to engage into the outer vertical slots II. The cards l4 also have a plurality of lug portions 16 extending downwards from the tabs l5 and arranged to engage into vertical slots 12. The lug portions l6 of the cards are so constructed and arranged that the lug portions of each card extends behind the tab of the next adjacent under card.

The page may be constructed so that each side may be used for a loose leaf device. In such event there is an auxiliary outer layer ill of identical construction to the outer layer l0 arranged upon the other face of the backing layer Hi. All the layers of the page are secured together along their edges by binding material [1. This binding material engages over the edges of the layers, and a line of stitches I8 is used to secure these parts together. A preferable construction is one in which the binding material I! and the stitches H! are used for securing the outer layers l0 and Ill together along three sides and then the backing layer i3 is inserted between the outer layers as indicated in Fig. 5. Thereafter when the backing layer is in position the fourth side of the page is finished by engaging the tape over the edges of the side and securing the tape thereon with the stitches I8.

Each card or sheet I 4 is formed with a score V line 20 arranged to separate the tab [5 from the other portion of the card or sheet. These score lines facilitate in forming a weakened line between the tabs and the cards or sheets so that they may easily be bent at this area. The arrangement permits the cards or sheets to be bent upwards as illustrated in Fig. 1. The tabs I6 are stamped from the material of the cards or sheets. These tabs are substantially of the same Width as the width of the corresponding slots I2 into which they engage.

The cards or sheets M are in a certain assembled condition upon the page. The assemblage is such that the end portions of the tabs l5 engage through the slots l l and extend slightly past the slots so as to engage the material of the outer layer towards the outside of the slots II. The tabs I6 extend into the slots 12. The lowermost card indicated by the number M of Fig.1 has its lug portions [6 engaging behind the lower ends l2 of the slots l2. This is clearly shown in Fig. 4. The other cards or sheets I4 are so placed that each next adjacent upper card or sheet has its lug portion engaged behind the tab l5 of the next adjacent card or sheet on the page.

The operation of this device is as follows:

Any one or any number of the cards l4 may be bent upwards along the score lines 20 so that the cards may be singly viewed. Any one particular card or any group of cards or sheets l4 may be removed from the page without disarranging the group removed, or the cards or sheets still remaining. To remove a card or sheet or group of cards or sheets it is merely necessary to slide them slightly upwards to disengage the lug portions from their interlocking portion with the next adjacent under card desired to remain in position. Then the card to be removed is grasped at the center part'of its top edge, and lifted upwardly. Tabs I5 extend outwardly, so that bending up of the center of the card decreases the distance between the tabs, thus to release them from engagementwith the page. Furthermore,

lugs 16 do not lock behind the material of the page adjacent slots 1 2, so that one card. may be isolated and removed by lifting the top edge thereof, or a whole group of cards may be isolated and lifted vertically from the page.

The card or sheet l4 may be identically mounted on each side of the page. A plurality of pages may be bound into a loose leaf book or other book if so desired.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

' Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A visible portable loose leaf device comprising a sheet member having spaced parallel slots forming two side slots and an intermediate slot, and a plurality of cards each comprised of a body portion, and a tab portion delineated from said body portion by a plurality of score lines, said tab portion having an outwardly directed side lug at each end thereof adapted and arranged for engagement, respectively, in said side slots, the distance between the outer edges of said side lugs being greater than the distance between the outer longitudinal edges of said side slots, said tab portion also having a lug intermediate said side lugs, the last-named lug extending towards said body portion and having at least a portion thereof struck out from the body portion of said card, the distance between the longitudinal edges of said intermediate slot being substantially equal to the greatest width of said struck-out portion whereby to allow said intermediate lug to be lifted from said intermediate slot by vertical motion only.

BERNARD KLEIN. BARNEY A. HEZIMBINDER. 

